Luwero — The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) is set to send a team of inspectors to look into complaints from residents of Yandwe, Ndibulungi, and Kakabala Nnalongo villages in Luwero about growing air and water pollution in their area.
Buule Kose Kizito, the LC1 chairman of Yandwe, said the issue has become widespread. "Thick smoke breaks into particles and spreads across our homes. Many people here are coughing and suffering from flu-like symptoms. We ask government to compel factories to operate with safeguards so our communities are not left exposed," he said.
Residents argue that the situation in Luwero is a reminder that Uganda's growing industries must operate responsibly. They have previously enganged the nearby Victoria Sugar factory for a solution, but without any positive outcome.
NEMA Executive Director Dr. Barirega Akankwasah said the Authority would dispatch a team. "We shall send inspectors to find out about this latest complaint of particles," he said. "The other time it was water pollution. Now I will send inspectors for air quality."
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Luwero District Councillor for Butuntumula Sub-County, Isaac Wampamba, said the community has complained for years.
"There is constant noise and soot covering fruits and vegetables. Some families have even stopped eating their greens. Government should act now because the communities feel abandoned," he said.
Resident now want independent tests of air and water quality, stricter enforcement of pollution standards, and closer coordination between government regulators and factory owners.
"Our health and environment should not be sacrificed for development," said Kizito. "We need industries that grow without destroying the communities around them."
Other residents described daily inconveniences. "When you hang clothes outside, they get covered with black dust. The same particles fall on the iron sheets we use to collect rainwater, leaving it dirty and unsafe," said Robert Seru, a farmer in Yandwe 1.
